RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> The Cucamonga Valley Water District has partnered with Nestlé Waters North America Inc. to construct a new groundwater treatment project that officials say will increase local water supplies.

The company has an Arrowhead water bottling plant in nearby Ontario and has purchased spring water from a district canyon source since the early 2000s, district officials said.

“We are a customer of the Cucamonga Valley Water District and we know that this investment in technology will have a direct benefit to the community,” said Janey Lazgin, spokeswoman for Nestlé Waters and its subsidiary, Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water. “As a customer, we’re a part of that community.”

The cost of the project is estimated to be $4.7 million, of which Nestlé Waters has pledged $1 million over the next eight years, officials said. CVWD will be responsible for managing, constructing and operating the project, officials said.

“Our area continues to face severe drought and we need to find new ways to meet the need for water,” said Martin Zvirbulis, CVWD general manager. “That’s why we are extremely pleased to pursue this new water supply opportunity with the help of Arrowhead. The value of local water supplies cannot be overstated and the more water we can develop locally, the more diverse our water supply portfolio becomes.”

The groundwater treatment project will take place at an existing well site within CVWD’s service area, according to the CVWD. The project is expected to produce an additional 237 million gallons of available clean drinking water in the area each year, officials said.

The project will remove nitrates from water at a district reservoir site near 19th Street and Sapphire Avenue. The wells that would be treated by the new plant have a combined output of 7,400 acre feet annually.

“The purpose of this treatment project is to add reliability to this well-production field so that we do not have to shut it down when water quality in the wells degrades,” said Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra, assistant general manager for the district. “So in essence, the project would make the 7,400 acre feet more reliable. “For example, there have been times in the past, like in the summer, when we need this production but we can’t use it because of poor water quality.”

Nestlé Waters has been a long-time customer of CVWD’s spring water. Since 2005, the company has sponsored CVWD’s educational Environmental Learning Center, which provides resources to teachers and hands-on activities for local children, and is a supporter of CVWD’s annual Kids Environmental Festival, Earth Day, poster contest and internships.

“We definitely share an interest and an enthusiasm for water resources and part of that is being a customer and working together,” Lazgin said. “We have been a sponsor of their environmental learning center for more than 10 years and that’s helping to develop information about water conservation.”

Neil Nisperos has been a reporter covering everything from business to education, courts, politics, city government, features, arts and entertainment since 1999. On social media, he has a combined following of about 25,300 people over various apps and platforms. He's passionate about the cinema, science, philosophy, poetry, art, photography, culture, literature and history. He feels fortunate to be in the profession that keeps power in check, memorializes people's stories for posterity and helps people with useful information.